The renewed statement of intent by the government to abolish the mandatory death penalty is widely lauded as a step in the right direction, but it also puts a spotlight on the effectiveness of Malaysia’s overall criminal justice system, and reforms that should be considered alongside sentencing reform. SUARAM and the Collective of Applied Law & Legal Realism (CALR) recently published a report on proposed reforms to prisons and places of detention. We speak to Umavathni Vathanaganthan from the Collective of Applied Law & Legal Realism (CALR) on their findings and the need to center criminal justice responses on a rights-based approach.

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